Saints may place a ton of pressure on fan favorite player from last season during late stages of 2026 NFL Draft

They’ve got a potential replacement on their radar.

Adam Holt — NFL News Writer
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Dec 21, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints kicker Charlie Smyth (39) celebrates a field goal against the New York Jets at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Saints got production out of young kicker Charlie Smyth last season, but that doesn’t mean the job is set in stone for him in 2026. New Orleans is keeping one of the best boots in the 2026 NFL Draft class

Saints showing interest in top kicker in NFL Draft

Iowa’s Drew Stevens is one of the top kickers in the draft, and the interest around the NFL proves exactly that. The Saints are part of that intrigue. Stevens scored 352 career points with the Hawkeyes, the second-most in program history.

According to Stevens, he had lunch with the Saints after his pro day. He talked about which teams have had him on their radar so far this offseason. He’s a popular prospect.

“I had three sit-down interviews with the Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Rams, and New York Jets. We had another day where us specialists sat at a table and that was more like speed dating [meetings]. Those were limited to like 10 minutes per team table. It’s just enough time for teams to get to know us a little bit. I did those quick meetings with all 32 teams.

I had a virtual meeting with the Green Bay Packers. That was a lot of fun. We went over film together. We had a blast going over the technical aspects of kicking together. The Packers invited me to attend their local pro day.

I had lunch with the New Orleans Saints after my pro day. The Tennessee Titans had a private workout scheduled with me. Their special teams coordinator [John “Bones” Fassel] was interested in overseeing my pro day drills. I had some contact with the Las Vegas Raiders as well.” — Stevens via Sports Illustrated

Adding Stevens to the fold would immediately place more pressure on Smyth, who is the projected starter for now. He emerged after the Saints moved on from Blake Grupe last season. Many fans enjoyed Smyth’s potential and upside once he took over.

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